shared sacrifice on behalf of all and to make sure that all pay their fair share of taxes in this country so that we can once again do what we did in 1993. we can do it again if only my friends on the republican side will join with us in making sure we raise the necessary revenues to get us out of this hole that we're in. madam president, with that i yield the floor. a senator: the senator from missouri. a senator: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the period for morning business continue until 2:00 p.m. today and that all provisions o of the previous order rean in effect. remain in effect. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. the senator from missouri. a senator: madam president, this

is the first time i've spoken since you've been in the chair and i want to say welcome to the senate. i want to talk about a baseball great, a missouri great, stan musual, who passed away on saturday at the age of 92. stan musual was born in november of 1920 in denora, pennsylvania. he was -- his title was "stan the man." he was the youngest of six children when he wasn't called "stan the man." he was just a guy who worked for a -- who was -- who worked at a company when he was a young man whose dad was a polish immigra immigrant, whose mother was a czechoslovakian -- was of czechoslovakian ancestry, whose dreams were probably not to become a professional baseball player but who was a great athlete from the very start. in his remarks when he presented stan musual the medal of freedom

in 2011, president obama said -- quoting president obama, "stan matched his muscle with humili humility. he retired with 17 records. even as he missed a season in his prime to serve his country in the navy, he was the first player to make -- and again i'm still quoting president obama -- "he was the first person to make this, get this, $100,000 playing baseball. even more shocking," according to the president, "he asked for a pay cut when he didn't perform up to his own expectations." that ends the pay quote. i don't think that august bush gave him a pay cut -- that ends the quote. i don't think august bush gave him the pay cut but i have read the story where stan musial was holding out for a pay package somewhere in the mid-1990's and august bush jush who had bought the cardinals, called him into

the office and said, i'm never going to pay you $90,000, whatever he was asking for. he said, i'm going to pay you $100,000 and you're going to be the first baseball player to make $100,000. stan musial played for the cardinals from 1941 to 1963, the only major league team he paid for. he entered the majors in 1941 as the fifth youngest player. he ended his career in 1963 as the third oldest player. he had a record of 24 times being named to the major league baseball all-star team. he won seven national league batting titles, three national league most valuable player awards, and he led the cardinals to three world series championships in the 1940's. stan musial, number 6, had batted at least .300 in every one of his 17 seasons.

a .300 hitter for every one of his 17 seasons. his lifetime batting average was .331. he batted .330 in the year before he decided to retire. he had 3,630 career hits. he hit 1,815 hits in st. louis at sportsman park and busch stadium, and he hit another 815 on the road. he played as well at home as he did away from home. he missed the entire 1945 season while he was serving in the na navy. it was a fan at he b at ebbittsa fan there, who groaned as he came to a plate one time in a game where he was always particularly good against the dodgers. he said, "here comes the man," and from that point on, his nickname was "stan the man." i had a chance to sit by tommy lasorda one day at lunch a few

years ago after i had read a -- a biography of stan musial and tommy lasorda, the longtime dodgers manager, who was a player when stan musial was playing, said he thought stan musial was the best ball player he ever saw play and was death on the dodgers. he was -- the dodgers liked him, the dodgers fans liked him, but it was a real rivalry. stan musial was elected into the baseball hall of fame the first year he was eligible in 1969. he would be one of the great ambassadors for baseball for the rest of his life. when he retired in 1963, commissioner ford frick said, "here stands baseball's perfect warrior. here stands baseball's perfect knight." he became an american icon throughout ballparks and over the radio. in 1940's and 1950's, came alex in st. louis -- kmlex had this

booming signal that went almost all the way to the west coast, it covered a lot of the south, and st. louis, the cardinals, were the furthest south of any baseball team and the further west of any baseball team, and because of that, stan musial played on a club that in many ways became america's team at that time. i can remember growing up in southwest missouri on a -- on a dairy farm particularly late at night when we were hauling hay, and i can remember this, when i was 10 or 12 years old, whoever was in the truck must have almost been deaf because we'd have -- the driver would have the radio turned up as loud as you could turn the radio up and the st. louis cardinal game would be coming out of both windows as we were out there working in the field. or if we weren't working in the field, sitting on a porch somewhere listening to the cardinals play. and there was no greater cardinal than -- than stan musial. bob gibson, another great cardinal, and stan's steam mate and a fellow -- teammate and a

fellow teammate, said "stan musial is the nicest man i ever met in baseball." and bob gibson went on to say he didn't particularly associate nice with baseball but he associated nice with stan musial. bob costas had to this to say about stan musial. he said, "stan musial didn't hit in 56 straight games, he didn't hit .400 for a season, he didn't get 4,000 hits, he didn't hit 500 home runs, he didn't hit a home run his last time at bat. he just hit a single the last time he was at bat. he didn't marry marilyn monroe, he married his high school sweetheart. his excellence was a quiet excellence." espn recently titled musial the most underrated athlete ever. only hank aaron, to think about the things that stan musial didn't do, only hank aaron had more runs than stan musial and extra-base hits. only tryst speaker and pete rose had more hits.

only babe ruth and barry bonds created more runs. but stan musial was at the highest levels in all of those areas. writing in the "post-dispatch" this week, bernie misclox wrote, "let's celebrate musial's extraordinary life and be thankful for his enduring presence through the decades. let's keep it simple in honor of this remarkably uncomplicated man. there's never been a more perfect reunion, a better relationship between an athlete and a town than stan musial and st. louis. from the time stan took his first at-bat in -- as a cardinal until his death saturday at his home in ladew, he was part of the community's soul for 71 years, 4 months and 2 days." many stories about stan musial have been told. i want to mention three that bernie mentioned in his -- in that same article. talked about when musial was first inducted into the baseball

hall of fame, as i said earlier, as soon as you could possibly be inducted. it was an overcast day in cooperstown. the crowd was quiet, subdued, a little bit put off by the day. moments before musial's official ceremony, the clouds got out of the way, the sunshine emerged and dizzy dean's widow, pat dean, said "stan brought the sun. he always does." in the 1960's, a second story, musial and other major league stars visited u.s. troops in vietnam and went to the military hospital to console the wounded. one seriously injured soldier looked up at musial from his hospital bet and said, "you're the best." musial's response was, "no, you are." brooklyn dodgers pitcher joe black, an african-american, told a story about being racially taunted by players in the st. louis dugout during a game. musial, who was batting at the time, facing -- facing joe bla

black, stepped out and angrily kicked the dirt to convey his disapproval of his own teammates, and he waited after the game to tell black, "i'm sorry that happened but you don't have to worry about it, you're a great pitcher. you'll win a lot of games." black said musial's support helped him gain the confidence he needed to become a top pitcher. and the fourth and last story that bernie told was when legendary center feeferld willy mays frequently talked about -- center fielder willy mays frequently talked about musial expomg befriending african-american players at all-star games. "we were in the back house playing poker and none of the white guys came back and said hi or how's it going, how are you guys doing or welcome to the all-star game. we were playing poker and all of a sudden i look up and here comes stan towards us. he grabs a chair, sits down and starts playing cards with us. and stan didn't know thousand

play poker," according to willy mays." stan didn't know how to play poker but his way of welcoming us to the game, making us feel better. i never forget it and we never forget it." mutual didn't make a lot of fiery speeches. he didn't lead a movement e. didn't try to promote himself as an angelic american, he just did good things. and then there's a last story, the love story between stan and his wife lil. maybe the best musial statistic of all. they were married for 71 years, 4 months and 2 days, until lil died on may the 3rd. stan followed her in january. kmox, the hey truck i talked about, like lots of other cardinal fans and musial fans, i remember the first time i say stan musial play at sportsmen's park. i remember the first time 30 years later i actually met him when i was the secretary of state in missouri and getting to meet stan musial was about as

good as it got, even then. i remember hearing him play, "take me out to the ball game" on his harmonica. baseball was lucky to have him. missouri was lucky to have him. cardinals and st. louis were lucky to have him. and i'm pleased to be here today to say how much we appreciate stan musial. and i'm also pleased to be joined by my colleague from missouri, senator mccaskill. mrs. mccaskill: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from missouri. mrs. mccaskill: well, i want to thank my colleague. it is -- he and i agree on many things. we disagree on many things but we agree on many things, and one of -- usually those begin and end with the states we -- the state we love, missouri, and certainly some of our most famous and beloved people that come from missouri. and obviously there is no one that deserves more love and

respect than stan mu si al. there are so many memories about sam musial that i want to try and encapsulate today. but the interesting things i have about the helms of stan mus -- memories i have of stan musial is i don't have these memories because i'm a united states senator. i don't -- they don't belong uniquely to me because i'm an elected official. i have these memories that i share with hundreds of thousands of people that were lucky enough to encounter stan musial during his time on earth. you know, stan musial was never -- whun you meet somebody and you can -- when you meet somebody and they're trying to look over you to try to find the person who's looking over you that's more important than you, or maybe they're impatient because they don't think they're a big enough deal to be taking your time. and if you look at our sports

icons today that travel with a possie and that have an entourage and that have certain rules about who can come near them and who can't and when? that was not stan musial. not one day of his career or one day after his career did he consider himself untouchable. he saw it as his duty and obligation to be there for all fans, whether it was somebody who worked at the ballpark sweeping after the game was over or whether it was a very talented ball player from another team. everyone was equal in stan musial's eyes. what a wonderful american value. and i could stand here today and talk about his amazing record as a baseball player, his unique swing, the beauty of his accomplishments in america's

favorite pasttime. but what we really need to focus on, as we mourn the loss of this living legend, is his character. because it was his character that brought universal love, respect, and devotion to the man, our man, stan the man. i know that senator blunt talked about this story, but i want to elaborate on this story a little bit. it's 1952. joe black has just been called up after spending one year in the minors with the brooklyn organization, he's been called up to the majors. he is facing stan musial. now, keep in mind this is an accomplished baseball player who had won two championships in the negro baseball leagues.

and had only bent a few years since jackie robinson had broken the color barrier for major league baseball. he is facing stan musial who already was the most feared hitter in baseball. he's standing there as a black man on the mound in this baseball game, and out of the cardinal dugout come jeers and taunts. in fact, one of the things that was said was hey, stan, you're not going to have any trouble hitting the ball against that dark background. stan musial when the game was over, he decided not to stay in the cardinal dugout, and joe black told the story that as he sat in the dugout he felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up and here was stan musial in the opposing dugout saying to joe

black, you're going to be a great pitcher. now, that encapsulates the character of stan musial. chuck connors, the rifleman, used to tell the story, he was a struggling hitter, and -- for the chicago cubs and i may need to explain to you, madam president, but i certainly don't to explain to anybody in cardinal nation that the chicago cubs are an opponent. we don't like the chicago cubs in cardinal nation. so he asked a teammate, chuck connors, what he should do about his swing. he was struggling with being able to hit in the majors and they all told him the same thing. the only guy who can help you is stan musial. so even though he was reluctant to approach a hitter on the opposing team, went to musial and asked for help, and, of course, stan responded as all

of us would expect he would. he spent 30 minutes in the cage with an opposing player trying to help him with his swing. and connors recounted that he wasn't ever that good of a hitter but he said he never forgot stan musial's kindness and when he finished watching me cult away at the ball, stan slapped me on the back and told me just to keep swinging. after the 1946 season, the promotors from the mexican league decided it was time for them to up the annually on baseball. at the time, stan musial was making the enormous sum of $13,500 for playing for the st. louis cardinals. now, the mexican league came to stan musial and said we're going to offer you a king's ransom at the time, $125,000 for five years. that was a lot of money for stan musial, and his family.

but he turned down the mexican league. he said at the time, he said later when asked about it, back in my day, we didn't think about money as much. we just enjoyed playing the game. we loved baseball. i didn't think about anybody else but the cardinals. harry cary knew stan musial over 50 years. we often tell the story of stan musial wandering out of the ballpark after a steaming double-header and trust me, we can have steaming double headers in missouri. looking like he'd been through 15 rounds in a prize fight and everything sing thirng in his body language signifyifying he was exhausted and just wanted to go home and lie down. instead, when he got to his car he found fans waiting for him.

watch this, harry cary told a friend and sure enough, musial's whole body straightened like popeye had eaten a can of spinach and vowt south wead do you say, what do you say and signed every single autograph of every fan surrounding his car. harry cary loved telling that story not because it was unusual, that's who stan musial was, but for the opposite reason, because it was ordinary. even in his time when baseball players weren't paid as much and so were more part of the community, stan musial stood apart by standing with the people in the community. and, you know, it wasn't just cardinal nation that worshiped stan musial. his opponents, the opposing teams. i mean how many baseball players, can you imagine today this happening? believe it or not, the new york

mets had a stan musial day at their park. and in chicago, the home of the cubs, he once finished first in a favorite player survey, edging out the legendary ernie banks, also a very nice guy who was beloved by the fans of baseball in the midwest. i could go on and on with the stories that reflect this man's character, so yes, he has amazing statistics. yes, him hitting a baseball was a thing of beauty that all of america is in awe of. but really what this man was about was about that phrase that we love to throw around in politics way too often, and

that's "american values." this was a man who didn't have to talk about his values. because he lived them. his love for his family, how close they are, i am very fortunate to be friends with the musial family, and have visited with them in the days since his death. they got messages from every star in the constellation of american baseball. but one stood out, and i would close with this. joe torre, upon hearing of stan's death just a few days ago, sent message to the musial family, and it said just simply this: "stan musial was a hall of famer in the game of life."

we will miss you, stan musial. i yield the floor. madam president, i have two unanimous consent requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they've been approved by the majority and minority leaders. i ask unanimous consent these requests be agreed to and printed in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. mccaskill: and i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

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mr. warner: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from virginia. mr. warner: mr. president, i ask that the proceedings under the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. warner: mr. president, as we get started on this next congress, i'd like to congratulate the presiding officer for his joining this chamber, as someone who spent during my first two years in the senate, a lot of time having the opportunity to preside, i commend him for those actions and look forward to working with him on a variety of projects. mr. president, what i want to do today is continue a tradition that i actually inherited from one of our former colleagues, senator ted kaufman of delaware. senator kaufman, who had been a

longtime employee of the senate, came to this floor on a fairly regular basis during his time here to basically celebrate and acknowledge the, in most cases tireless unsung work of so many of our federal employees. as we debate budgets and debt and deficit and oftentimes recognize that we have to make extraordinarily difficult choices and cuts, behind all of those cuts in many instances are federal employees who do remarkable work in keeping us safe and providing services and helping our country grow. ted kaufman used to come down here and on a regular basis and celebrate some of those unsung heroes, and i was proud to continue this tradition last congress and look forward to carrying it on through another session. i start this next congress

actually celebrating two great federal employees, both who happen to be virginians, i might add, who serve as excellent role models. they represent the thousands of professionals who work quietly every day across our intelligence community to keep our nation safe. very often these professionals work in anonymity and many risk their lives in troubled spots far away from the limelight. and that is how it should be. as we've seen certain incidents abroad recently, sometimes they paw with the highest sign -- pay with the highest sacrifice in terms of their lives. for their service, for the late nights and early mornings away from their families, for the risks they take and the sacrifices they make every day, and because they do not hear this nearly enough, allow me to say thank you to those members of the intelligence community. today i'd like to briefly tell the remarkable stories of two

extraordinary women who built their careers at the central intelligence agency. jean vertifaye passed on december 29 at the age of 80 after a brief illness. in announcing her death to the c.i.a. family, acting director michael morell appropriately described ms. vertifay as an icon within the agency. if her story were not true it would read like a spy novel. jean joined the c.i.a. when sraoe graduated from college -- when she graduated from college in 1954. that was the year i was born. that was the year dick durbin was 32. at a time when the american intelligence community was best described as an old boys' club, she was hired as a -- at the c.i.a. as a gs-4 typist. coming out of college in 1954 hired as a typist.

over her career that stretched nearly half century, jean blazed a trail in the national clandestine service, she methodically worked her way up to leadership positions. openings in ethiopia, finland and the hague. she became an expert in soviet intelligence and spy craft and retired as a member of the senior intelligence service in 1992. but even after her retirement, she continued her work for the agency as a contractor, making still more valuable contributions and working without a day's break in service until she became ill just last summer. as her obituary reads -- quote -- "she remained a quiet agency soldier, purposely nondebt ceiling script and -- none descript and selflessly dedicated. she lived alone and walked to work. if she was a gray figure at the agency, ms. vertifay was an effective one and in october

1986 was asked to lead a task force to investigate the disappearance of russians whom the c.i.a. hired to spy against their own country. together with her colleagues at the c.i.a., she invested years in the methodical and painstaking hunt for a mole. and it was through her efforts and the good work of many others that we ultimately unmasked notorious traitor aldris ames. she joined the c.i.a. in -- as a typist. thanks in large measure to ms. vertifay, he was convicted of espionage and is now serving a life prison term without parole. jean's story does not end there. "the washington post" recently described how one of her colleagues, sandy grimes, another virginian, who worked with her on the ames task force

stepped up to care for jean as she was battling cancer. sandy grimes, a career c.i.a. employee ultimately served as jean's primary caregiver. she sat with her each day during the final three months of her remarkable life. shimon toward jean's care and tried -- she monitored jean's care. she often brought personal messages of support and appreciation from the former c.i.a. colleagues. quote from ms. grimes, "i felt an obligation to be there with her. i can't imagine not doing it. i was the one jean would accept. i owed it to her as a friend." by all accounts, jean vertifay was an intensely private woman and she doubtless would recoil at the attention she is now receiving, but one cannot help but be inspired by this true-life story of service and patriotism and friendship demonstrated by these two great

employees: sandy grimes and the late jean vertifay. their services reflect well on the work of thousands of other intelligence professionals whose names can never be revealed. both of them deserve our recognition and thanks. mr. president, during the last congress, i joined 14 senators in a joint resolution to mark u.s. intelligence professionals day. my hope is that we can actually at some point during this congress gather more supporters so we can actually get a day designated to recognize the enormous contribution that intelligence professionals make on a more formalized basis. again, this was an effort to bring respectful attention to these kwaoeity professionals -- quiet professionals who i can testify to keep our nation safe every day without any thought of recognition. again, i look forward to work with my colleagues to reintroduce this resolution in the next congress. again, mr. president, as i conclude my remarks -- and i see

my friend, the senator from illinois, here, the distinguished majority whip, we spent a lot of time over the last two and a half years grappling with the challenges around debt and deficit and trying to make some of the very hard choices we're going to need to make as a nation. while it appears we may be avoiding some of this, immediate consequences of the so-called debt ceiling debate, which i'm glad to see -- as we make some of the challenging choice, and i again want to compliment my friend, the senator from illinois, who has been as stalwart as anyone in this chamber stepping up and speaking truth about some of the choices and challenges we have to make, we are going to have to proceed at a level of spending that is less than what we've had in the past. but as we think about cutting

back budgets, i think it is important to remember that behind many of these budgets, there are not just numbers, but there are incredible professionals who give their life's service to making a stronger, stronger nation. so with this tribute to jean and sandy, i commend these two great federal employees. i will, again, be down on a regular basis to celebrate federal employees throughout this congress, because too often many disparaged government in today's day and life sometimes disparage government service. but for jean vertifay, we might not have as safe a nation as we do today. with that, i yield the floor. mr. durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, let me say to my colleague from virginia i will accept his kind works with at least an indirect apology for the defamation which he included in his speech suggesting that i'm somehow an

ancient mariner in the senate. i wear my trousers rolled but not quite as rolled as you suggested. i thank you too for your leadership on this deficit and debt issue. it's not over. we still have a lot to do, and we have to do it thoughtfully. i'm glad you highlighted these two federal employees. i read the obituary of the one you highlighted. it was an extraordinary story of a woman who persevered in an agency which didn't have much use for women beyond secretarial status, and became a real asset of the united states and made us a safer nation. so i'm glad you did that, and i'm glad you're continuing this tradition of acknowledging these important federal employees. i thank my friend from virginia. mr. president, it's been said that in st. louis, missouri, baseball isn't a sport, it's a religion. and if that's true, stan musial was a st. louis civic patriot saint. stan musial was an icon in st. louis. he was the best ball player ever to wear a cardinals uniform and one of the best to ever play

that great game. stan musial was my childhood hero when i was a boy, and he remains a hero in my life to this day. you know when you've reached my age and maybe my station in life, you're supposed to be beyond the stage of swooning but when it comes to stan musial, i'm a kid all over again, buying more bubble gum than i can possibly afford in the hope that i would open up one of those packages and find covered with pink powder that card that had stan musial's picture on it. it was the treasure of my youth, and it would be so today if my mom hadn't thrown all those cards away. well, stan musial's death sunday at the age of 92 has hit the cardinals nationwide like a death in the family. one cardinals fan spoke for many of us when she told a st. louis newspaper that losing stan musial is like losing your grandparent. it's hard not to tear up. i grew up in east st. louis

right across the river. my most prized possession when i was a kid, my very first stan musial rawlings baseball glove. i rubbed that glove with glove-oleum until i could see his name burn in the leather. one of the haoeulgts came two years ago when i got to meet stan musial in person for the first time in my life. it was at the white house, february 11, 2011 fnlt stan musial was there to receive from president obama the presidential medal of freedom. he is one of only eight other baseball players in the history of america to receive that prestigious honor. and listen to the company he joined -- joe dimaggio, jackie robinson, ted williams, roberto clemente, hank aaron, frank robinson and the famous buck o'neill. at the white house, i stood patiently waiting for the moment

to ask stan musial to sign that old baseball glove which i still have from since i was a kid. he agreed to do so. what a thrill. i was 10 years old all over again. you know, outside busch stadium in st. louis is a statue of stan the man in his playing prime. he's coiled up in a batting style that every coach said don't bat like stan "the man" musial. even though he has great numbers, if you do that, you will never hit the ball. we all tried. the coaches were right. etched into the base of that statue were words that major league baseball commissioner ford frick said when stan retired in 1963, and i quote -- "here stands' baseball's perfect warrior, here stands baseball's perfect knight. on the field and off, stan musial was always a gentleman, always a champion. he exemplified the values of sportsmanship, discipline, hard work, grace, consistency and a love of family. baseball broadcast ervins

scully, a hall of famer himself, said how good was stan musial? he was good enough to take your breath away. stan played his entire year, 22 years for the st. louis cardinals. he did take off one season in 1945 to serve our country in the united states navy during world war ii. his 3,026 games with the same club are second only to 3,308 games over 23 years by carl yastrzemski with the boston red sox. when stan musial retired from baseball after the 1963 season, he held 29 national league records and 17 major league records. here are just some of his career numbers. an average, batting average of .331. an on-base percentage of .417. 3,630 hits, 725 doubles, 177 triples, 475 homers, and the first homer i could ever remember seeing on television, it was the all-star game in st.

louis. darned if stan musial didn't get up in the 12th inning, parking a home run to the outfield stands, winning it for the national league. couldn't have been more thrilled at my first exposure to baseball on television. he had 1,951 r.b.i.'s and 1,949 runs. he's the only baseball player to finish his career in the top 25 in all of these categories. where did he get that nickname? it was coined not by a cardinals fan but by a brooklyn dodgers fan in may, 1946, after musial's four hits helped lead the cardinals to a 13-4 drug abusing of the dodgers, the brooklyn dodgers. every time stan musial came to the plate, the fans at ebbets field said here comes the man, and the name stuck. the legendary baseball writer red barber once described the 1947 season as the year all hell broke loose in baseball. it was the year that jackie robinson integrated major league baseball.

jackie robinson would later recall, when asked about his baseball career, that it was stan musial and hank greenberg, two players who went out of their way to be friendly and encouraging him in that historic and difficult year. maybe stan musial's greatest baseball day came on may 2, 1954. it was a double-header in st. louis against the new york giants. he hit three homers in the first game and two in the second. in 1957, stan musial became the first major league baseball player to earn the amazing salary of $100,000 a year. two years later, when his batting average dipped to .255, it was musial who went to the cardinals' owners and asked them to cut his salary back to $80,000. he wasn't playing up to what he thought he had the potential to play up to. late in his final season, he stayed up all night waiting for the birth of his first grandchild, and the next day became the first grandfather to

ever homer in the major leagues. umpires -- and this says something about what a gentleman he always was -- umpires not once ever ejected stan musial from a baseball game in more than 3,000 games. on january 21, 1969, stan musial was elected to the baseball hall of fame on the first ballot. he was named on 92% of the ballots, something to reflect on after what we just went through a few weeks ago when no one made the cut for the baseball hall of fame. stan musial was the first player to receive 300 votes on the hall of fame ballot. when he retired, the st. louis cardinals retired his number, number six. cardinals' manager mike matheny said when the entire cardinals' team takes the field this year, they will be wearing a number six patch on their uniforms. matheny said it will be a call for us to do our very best to live up to that high standard of excellence. he added you don't come across names like warrior, prince and knight by just having hall of

fame statistics. it comes from making an impact on the lives of people. i was in that group, matheny said. mr. musial, i say thank you. he's a perfect example of what it means to wear this jersey. i want to give credit to my colleague, senator claire mccaskill. she worked with me, in fact she led the way in terms of the presidential medal of freedom along with senator bond for stan musial. she came up with a great idea. i don't know if it's going to go anywhere, but i'm going to try to help her make it a reality. she has suggested that we can honor this american hero, this regional hero and the values that he stood for by naming the new bridge that's being built across the mississippi river at st. louis in the honor of stan musial. now, i grew up on the illinois side, and we kind of looked over at the missouri side a little differently than most and they looked at us a little differently, too, but if there is one thing that ever united us, it was baseball loyalty and stan musial. it's a perfect name for a bridge that spans between illinois and missouri in that region of the

country. i am proud to join senator claire mccaskill, and we will be introducing a bill to name the bridge the stan musial memorial bridge. other legislation is being considered in the illinois and missouri general assemblies at this time. i wish them the best in honoring this great man. it was my great honor to join him on that historic day when he was given the presidential medal of freedom, and he's always going to be my hero. mr. president, i ask consent that my next statement be placed in a separate part in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president, on a different topic, i rise today to reintroduce two pieces of legislation, the know before you owe act and the fairness for struggling students act. these bills will take critical steps toward addressing the student debt crisis facing america. every week, my office is contacted by young people and their families who share with me their horror stories about student debt.

many of them are college students or graduates who are getting crushed by student loans the size of mortgages. all too often, these young people were lured into attending worthless for-profit colleges that left them with worthless diplomas and mountains of debt. it is disgraceful. but it's not only the young people facing this debt crisis. it's their parents, their siblings, even their grandparents who did them a favor by cosigning on these loans. they, too, are being held responsible when the loans go into default. many of these people contact my office because they don't know where to turn. their debt load leaves them feeling helpless. they are putting off major life decisions like buying a home or even starting a family because of crushing student debt. we can't stand idly by any longer and ignore this reality. we have got to step up and recognize that this student debt bomb is ticking away. student loan debt among college

students surpassed $1 trillion last year. the new york fed reports that balances of student loans have now exceeded the balances on automobile loans and credit card debt in america, student loans. that makes student loans the largest form of consumer debt outside of home mortgages. last year, 37 million borrowers held student loan debt. that's more than 10% of the population of this country. the average balance, $24,300. but remember, that's an average. this is a massive amount of debt that's having a profound impact on the lives of the students and their families across america. the overall growth in student debt is troubling. the most pressing concern is what's known as private student loans. you know, if you go to a college, you could qualify for a government guaranteed loan with

dramatically lower interest rates with the combinations based on your employment and even some loan forgiveness. not so when it comes to private student loans in most cases. students who take out the federal loans receive affordable interest rates, a lot of protections and repayment options. private student loans, totally different. private student loans often have high variable interest rates, hefty origination fees, lack of repayment options and unfortunately crushing penalties. in 2012, the amount of outstanding private student loans exceeded $150 billion. students are being steered into these private loans while they are still eligible for the better government loans. why? because somebody's making more money when they have signed up for the private student loans. as a result, many students are being saddled with debt that they don't have to be saddled with, and sometimes debt they can never repay.

the consumer financial protection bureau last year reports that at least 850,000 individual private student loans were in default, amounting to more than $8 billion. let me tell you about one of those students. i have opened up on my web site, my official web site a place where those who have student loans and want to share their stories can come. anna wilcox, who is 31 years old, did. she attended the brooks institute of photography. a for-profit college owned by the career education corporation. anna wilcox saw a tv ad one day about this so-called brooks institute of photography and decided she would call an inquiry. while the school called her twice a day until she finally enrolled. the recruiter at the school, this career education corporation school, told her that a brooks degree would help her make $85,000 a year as a

photographer, so anna enrolled. and when she graduated in 2006, she had a debt of about $170,000. almost all of it in private student loans. anna was 24 years old. $170,000 student debt from this for-profit school. with a variable interest rate that went as high as 18%, her balance just kept growing. her monthly payments on her private student loan now exceed $1,000 a month. her federal loans that she took out as well had low interest rates. she says those payments are reasonable and she can handle them. her parents decided to help her out and cosigned on the loans. now her parents in their 60's are on the hook as well. they have to change their life plans because they wanted to help their daughter, and now they're stuck with a debt of $170,000 for a worthless diploma

from a for-profit school. well, anna did find a job, but the job doesn't pay anywhere near $85,000 a year. she just can't keep up with the staggering monthly loan payments. she said she would like to file for bankruptcy, clean the slate and start over. you see, she can't borrow money to go to a real school. she has wasted her borrowing power on these for-profit schools. well, it doesn't do her any good to want to file for bankruptcy. private student loans are not dischargeable in bankruptcy. if you sign up as a student, a college student for one of these student loans, it is a debt that will follow you for a lifetime. there is no way to escape it. it's something to think about long and hard when students make that decision. anna is very blunt and despondent. she said she made a bigamies take going to the school. it was a waste. she thought she would get a better life by going to college. she didn't realize these for-profit schools by and large

are a waste of money, and debt that most students can never pay back. she has bad credit now and a mountain of debt to show for it. so what are we going to do about it? we're going to say well, anna, you should have been a little smarter when you were 19 years old and sat across the desk from somebody who said we want you as a college student. you made your mistake, girl. that's the way it works in america. now you have got to pay your price. is that the answer? is that the answer when these for-profit schools depend on the federal government and taxpayers for 85% to 95% of all the revenue they take in? if these for-profit schools took the federal money we send their way, mr. president, if these for-profit schools were a federal agency, it would be the ninth largest federal agency in america. that's how much money we're pouring into these for-profit schools. and let me just put three numbers out for people to reflect on. 12% of the students out of high school go to for-profit schools.

you know their names. they are students who gather in washington here and come to the galleries. they know what i'm talking about. go on the internet and try to escape an ad for a for-profit school. university of phoenix, devries, kaplan. ring a bell? well, i can tell you these are the biggies but there are hundreds of them. 12% of the students after high school go to for-profit schools. for-profit schools, though, account for 25% of all the federal aid to education. they just soak it up. students borrow it, turn it over to the for-profit schools. the student is stuck with the debt. the for-profit school may never graduate you but they have got nor money. here is the third number to remember. 12, 25, the third number 47. 47% of the student loan defaults in america are students from for-profit schools. being dragged into these schools

that charge way too much for tuition and then the student either can't finish school or gets out of school and can't find a job. they are stuck. i tell my students back home, if you are not sure, start at a community college. it's affordable. it has a wide array of courses that can be offered to you. you will learn a lot about yourself. you will learn about what you want to do in school and you won't end up sunk in debt. we want to do something like anna wilcox's plight and many others just like her. i want to commend especially one community college in my state. the elgin community college. i have been visiting that school regularly and always come home saying this college gets it. they have implemented a financial counseling program that goes above and beyond anything that i would put into law. all of the students at elgin community college in elgin, illinois, must submit a monthly budget detailing all their costs when they are seeking financial aid.

the student then has a mandatory one-on-one meeting with a counselor to review the loan balance, the repayment options and what happens if you default. this community college has implemented a workshop for students who will be graduating during the upcoming semester to discuss repayment options and give them a complete summary of every loan they have taken out. these students are facing debt the likes of which they have never seen in their lives. they are motivated by all of the preaching they have heard from their parents like me saying go to school, get a degree. they are ready to sign up because they want to do what they think is the right thing. they don't know a for-profit school is worthless. they don't know that thousands and thousands of debt will never be able to be repaid. and they don't know that debt will be with them for a lifetime. so here are some bills that i have introduced to address it. students will benefit more, i believe, if they have the kind of loan counseling that we see

at the elgin community college. i'm joining senator tom harkin of iowa introducing the know before you owe private student loan act of 2013. the legislation requires colleges to confirm a student's enrollment status, cost of attendance and estimated federal financial aid assistance before any private student loan can be approved for that student. in other words, if you're eligible for the government loan, for goodness sakes, take that first. the private student loan is much more expensive, and it's tougher to pay it back. so we want to make sure that students who are eligible for government loans know that before they sign up for the private student loans. often students have not even applied for federal aid before they are encouraged by some of these schools to apply for private student loans or students haven't exhausted their eligibility under federal aid. requiring school certification would give the school the

opportunity to make students aware of their federal student aid options and the most affordable options. the bill would also require schools to counsel the students about their loan options. schools would be required to inform students about the differences between federal loans and private student loans, and they are stark and dramatic. for students who decide to take out a private student loan, the bill would require lenders to provide them with quarterly up to date information about their balance and interest accrued. it isn't one of these deals where you just keep borrowing and borrowing and borrowing and finally when you're about to finish school or years later, they give you the total. you look at it and say my goodness, i didn't realize i had signed up for all of that debt. this legislation has been recommended by the consumer financial protection bureau. the other will i'm reintroducing today is the fairness for struggling students act. this bill cosponsored by senators wows, franken, harkin

and jack reed would restore the bankruptcy code's 2005 prior treatment of private student loans. since 2005, private student loans have enjoyed a privileged status under the bankruptcy code. they didn't can be discharged in bankruptcy except under the most extreme circumstances. only a few other types of debt can't be discharged in bankruptcy. criminal fines, child support, taxes and alimony. in contrast, nearly all types of private unsecured debt, credit card debt, doctor bills are dischargeable in bankruptcy, but not student loans. there was no good reason for congress to give such preferred treatment to these financial institutions that are pedaling these private student loans. it was a provision, a sweetheart provision tucked into a massive bankruptcy reform bill with very little debate and even less justification.

there is no evidence that private student loan borrowers were abusing the bankruptcy system before this law was changed. in fact the private student loan market was growing even before this measure was enacted into law. but the private student loan industry got a sweetheart deal out of congress. now we're in a situation where many students have overwhelming private student loan debt that they cannot repay and they cannot escape. this is devastating for our students and a drag on our overall economy. there was an article a few months ago in "the new york times." it talked about a grandmother who was having her social security check garnished because she had signed on as a co-signer of her granddaughter's student loan. they were going after grandma's social security check. that's how serious this can be. a large coalition of student educational civil rights and

consumer organizations support this bill. i hope we can move forward with legislation this year. it's time to restore fairness to our bankruptcy code when it comes to student debt. let me be clear. when used appropriately, student loans are valuable and important. i wouldn't be standing here today if i hadn't borrowed money from the federal government to go to college and law school. i never could have afforded it otherwise. it was called the national defense education act. if i told you the numbers that i borrowed, you will realize how old i am. at the time it was scary to have that much debt come fresh out of law school. i paid it back just like i was supposed to so the next generation could take over. but what i faced, the debt that i had incurred to go to school and law school doesn't even come close to match what many students have to borrow in the first semester. and that unfortunately leads to a debt that some will be prushed with for a lifetime.

unfortunately, there are far too many americans who have been steered into high-cost private loans that will burden them for life and prevent them from fully contributing to our economy. it is about time that we woke up to the reality of what students, millions of students across america are facing and their families. we have a responsibility to them over and above the profits that are being earned by for-profit schools and the financial institutions pedaling these private student loans with outrageous interest rates and terms. it is time for these congress to listen to working families and their kids all across america to restore transparency, fairness and common sense to private student loans. i urge my colleagues to support these bills and i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. vitter: you know, mr. president, more and more americans from all walks of

life, of both political parties, feel that there is not just a pond or a sea but an ocean of difference between the real world where they live in washington, d.c. they view i think correctly washington, d.c. as a different planet where normal rules don't seem to apply. that's why on the first day i can introduce new legislation in this new congress i chose to introduce a package of reform measures, measures aimed at bridging that gap, bringing those two worlds together, returning us, returning washington to the real world and reconnecting with the american people. the american people are also concerned rightly of the bitter partisanship, the overall ideological tone of mostly all of the debate we have here in

washington now here in congress, and i believe these sorts of reform measures, the four bills i have introduced in particular, can also help bridge that divide because they are not ideological, they are not partisan. they are good government reform, things that can and should and hopefully will bring us together and bring us together and reconnect us with the american people. again, it's another reason i chose to introduce this package of four reform measures, four good government bills on the first day i could introduce legislation in this congress. the first is a very simple but basic and fundamental idea, term limits for members of congress, and i'm honored to be joined by six other senators right off the gate, right out of the box in terms of cosponsoring this important legislation, senators paul, ayotte, coburn, lee,

rubio, cruz and johnson. i thank them for their cosponsorship and their support. this measure would limit members of congress and the house to three cost-effective terms, a total of six years in the senate, to two cost-effective terms, total of 12 years. it's the consensus measure supported by citizens groups, very active and supportive of the concept of term limits. and the idea again is simple, to reconnect congress with the american people, to do away with the notion of legislating as a career, and to get back to the founders' vision of citizen legislators. when i was in the state legislature, i authored and passed term limits for the state legislature. that required a state constitutional amendment, a big deal, a two-thirds vote in each body and then a vote of the people.

but because of the people's voice rising up and being heard we achieved that. with that reform which was voted overwhelmingly into the state constitution by the people of louisiana, we have a regular influx now of new, flesh blood, real experience from the real world that reconnects in a very healthy way the state legislature and all of us, the citizens who it's supposed to represent. that was needed for the state legislature, and if it was, and it was, it's needed a thousand times more for congress. because that divide, that sea, that ocean, that difference between different planets in the eyes of so many americans, is even greater between congress and the real world, congress and the american people. the second bill i've introduced is a bill to do we with automatic pay increases for members of congress. that is present law, that we

get regular increases of pay with no proposal, no bill put in the hopper, no debate, no need for an inconvenient vote. i think that's just outright wrong. i think it helps build that distrust on the part of the american people. and i'm joined by a bipartisan cosponsor, senator mccaskill of missouri. i thank her for her leadership and her support of this measure. again, the measure is very simple. just repeal, do we with any automatic pay increases for members of congress. if there is to be a pay increase, there should be a bill proposing it, an open 2008, and a public -- open debate, and a public vote. the third measure is fully bipartisan, i'm introducing it with senator bill nelson of florida, that's reform of the corps of engineers, something

very important for our two states but for, indeed, the whole country. in louisiana, in florida, and elsewhere, unfortunately, the corps of engineers has become a poster child for a dysfunctional federal government. a federal bureaucracy, the a federal system that's just bogged down, doesn't work, takes 10 and 20 years to study something, never, ever getting to construction. we need to streamline and reform that process, and the vitter-nelson bill does just that. by greatly streamlining the process by which corps projects can come to fruition, putting state and local leaders more in charge of that effort, at first on a pilot basis, hopefully we'll expand that in the future for important corps of engineers projects. again, that's particularly important for our states of louisiana and florida, but it's important for so many states and

for the country as a whole. and fourth and finally, i'm introducing a measure that i've had before to reform federal campaign finance law to prohibit pac's and campaign funds from employing members' spouses or family members. that's just a way, quite frankly, in some circumstances for members of congress, politicians, to pad their family income. i think that's wrong, and that leads directly to the real suspicion and low regard so many americans hold this institution in. so, again, this bill is simple, straightforward, but important. it would prohibit spouses and immediate family members of members of congress from receiving payments from that member's campaign accounts or leadership pac's. that is a loophole, an area of

abuse that we must close, that we must prohibit that abuse in the future. these four bills won't solve every problem out there. they won't be the be-all and end-all of important reform and good-government efforts, but they would be an important start. they would help us truly reconnect with the american people, narrow this divide which is so vast right now between the real world, real americans, and this institution. and they would be important nonpartisan, nonideological reform efforts that we can gather around, democrats and republicans alike to do something positive, to do something productive and to reconnect with the american people. so i urge my colleagues of both parties to support these measures, to come on as cosponsors. many of you already have and i thank you again for that. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor and i suggest the absence of a quorum.

the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. manchin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia is recognized. mr. manchin: i ask unanimous consent the period of morning business be extended until -- the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. manchin: i ask the quorum call be vitiated. i ask unanimous consent the period of morning business be extended until 5:00 p.m. today

and that all provisions of the previous order remain in effect. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. manchin: mr. president, i rise today to honor the life, legacy and service of a dear friend, john edward bresch. jack led a life filled with compassion. he worked tirelessly for everyone to have access to affordable, quality health care, especially needy children and families. his heart was as big as heaven. but jack's life was also a life of great humor. anybody who knew him also knew his warm and infectious laugh. it was a sure sign that jack was somewhere nearby because you could almost hear his laughter before you saw his face. and everybody was glad to see jack coming their way. he truly never met a stranger. sadly, we won't be able to hear that distinct laughter again. jack passed away on september 1, 2012, surrounded by his family after a brief and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.

from the moment of his fateful diagnosis until the day he left us, we saw him in great and courage, dignity and humility, joy, and yes laughter. and so much love and gratitude lived out on a daily basis that even in our sorrow, his memory will never be lost. tomorrow, jack will be laid to rest in our nation's most hallowed ground, arlington national cemetery, with full military honors as a decorated naval lieutenant who served as a chaplain during the vietnam war. in his life, jack bresch was many things, but above all a family man, devoted to his wife joanne, his children, mary elizabeth, james richard and jeffrey john, and ten grandchildren on whom he doted. he also leaves behind countless friends and colleagues whose lives are enriched with memories of this gregarious, energetic, larger than life man. but when a loved one is gone, it

is often the little things that you remember most. some of us will remember how much jack loved neckties. some of us will remember sherry, jack's favorite drink, a manhattan made with maker's mark, up, no bitters, and a twist of orange. that was a tough one. some of us will remember how often jack quoted a 19th century german politician, otto von bismark. politics is the art of the possible. some of us will remember how proud jack was to be at the white house when president obama signed the affordable care act for which he worked so tirelessly. my friends saw jack on tv and sent him a text to let him know and jack texted back, just a pleasure to be here. it was a pleasure to be jack to be anywhere. jack enjoyed being people and people enjoyed being with jack. he was a great person to talk to, probably because he began his adult life as a roman

catholic priest. priest was the preach in the diocese of pittsburgh, from 1966-1974. in 1968, at the height of the vietnam war, he entered the u.s. navy as served athe navy and marine corps chaplain in posts around the world. during his time in the service, he sprfsed drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs and worked as a liaison with the american red cross. after the war, jack left the priesthood. but in some ways, he never stopped being a chaplain, in the sense that he never wavered from his steadfast belief in social justice. he carried that belief forward in a career that made the world a better place. working for congress, the federal government, the illinois hospital association, the catholic health association and the american dental education association. many got to know jack through his work as the lead lobbyist for the catholic health

association. they also learned how hard it was to say no to jack. without the catholic health association, jack worked closely with first lady hillary clinton and the white house two to have develop a plan for reforming the nation's health care system. while at the american dej education association, he was instrumental in improving access to dental care for the needy children. for more than a decade, he worked diligently to ensure that policy-makers understood the value of oral health to overall health. the reason why he was invited to the white house for the signing of the affordable care act. jack lived long enough to see the supreme court uphold key portions of the affordable care act. he knew the law wasn't perfect but he was happy to see it move forward. remember, he believed that politics is the art of the possible. to joann and jack's entire family, my wife and gayle and i extend our deepest sympathy

because we are part of that family. jack and i shared four of his ten grandchildren but he lent me all of rest of them. it is hard to think of this world without jack being a part of it, making us laugh and hearing him laugh and making us care the way he cared. mr. president, there is a wonderful anonymous quote which may well describe how we think of jack's passing, especially since he served so courageously in the navy. it offers great comfort to those who grieve and it goes something like this. i'm standing upon the seashore, a ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. she is an object of beauty and strength and i stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and the sky come down to mingle which each other. then someone at my side says, "there, she's gone." gone where? gron my sight, that is all --

gone from my sight, that is all. she's just in large in mass and spar as she was when she left my side and just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of destination. her diminished size is in me, not in her, and just at the moment when someone at my size says, "there, she's gone." there are other eyes watching her coming and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, "there, she comes." jack bresh was a man whose optimism could overwomen any doubter and whose joy for life was wonderfully contagious and completely irresistible. the ancient poets tell us that one must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day had been. our day with jack was splendid indeed. and as we prepare to honor jack with the military honors due a decorated navy chaplain, i would like to end my tribute with a traditional blessing and wish my

friend, fair winds and following seas. thank you, mr. president. mr. alexander: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senior senator from tennessee is recognized. mr. alexander: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, patty paige died on new year's day this year. she was 85 years oasmed the senate has not been in session for most of the time since then. i wanted to come to the floor today to pay a tennessean's tribute to petitio to patty pai. she's best known for the tennessee song "the tennessee waltz." a few years ago when i met her for the first time, she told me the story of the tennessee waltz. i knew some of it but she completed the rest of it. 1946, a couple of tennesseans, peawee king and redd stewart, were driving from memphis to nashville. that was before interstate highways. it took a pretty good amount of

time to drive that distance. i don't know whether they were drinking a beer or not on the way from memphis to nashville but they were relaxed and one of them said to the other, why is it kentucky and missouri have a waltz and tennessee doesn't have a waltz? and so on the way from memphis to nashville, they took out a penny match box, which is one of these big boxes with wooden matches in it, dumped out the matches on the floorboard of the car and on the back of the penny match box between nashville and memphis -- between memphis and nashville in 1946, peewee king and redd stewart wrote the tennessee waltz. she sang it around a pew places. peewee king sang it on the grand ole opry, nobody paid much attention to it. cowboy copus sang it. they sang it on redd foley's show in springfield, missouri. nothing much happened to the

tennessee waltz until 1950. and this is the story that patty page told me. mercury records in new york had a new song that they were sure was going to be a big hit. it was called boogie woogie santa claus. i don't know if it was a follow-up to rudolph the red-nosed reindeer but the executives in new york were sure it was going to get a big hit. so they wanted the hottest young female singer in america to record boogiewoogie santa claus so they recorded patty page. she recorded it for mercury records. and then in those days, you always had to put a record on the back of the main record. you had to pick a song. it would be the "b" side. just as a throwaway, they put on the back of it, the te tennessee waltz. well, we know the rest of the story. the tennessee waltz sold about 5 million copies. nobody ever heard of boogie

woogie santa claus, except those who bought the tennessee waltz. mike curb who runs curb records in nashville told me it was the best-selling record ever by a female artist. patty page eventually sold 100 million records. she was the top-selling female artist in record sales in history. growing up, i heard her songs, mockingbird hill, "i went to your wedding, old cape cod. 1952, she a song called, "how much is that doggie in the window?" sound like a silly little song but it sold a lot of records and great many americans remember it. in the 1980's, when i was governor of tennessee, i would travel to japan and go to restaurants. in the evening, guild to the bars with friends and to my astonishment, many of the japanese friends, many of whom didn't know much english, could sing every word of the tennessee waltz. and when i inquired about it, it was because it was introduced at

the time of the american occupation in japan, 1950 or so, and -- and according to them, the asian music doesn't have the same kind of standard that american music has. we get a phrase or a theme in our minds and we never forget it, like the tennessee waltz. so the tennessee waltz became a song that most japanese men of that age knew, remembered and could sing -- could sing from memory. i met patty page for the first time six years ago. it was 2007. she was about 79 or 80 years of age at the time. she told me the story of the recording of the tennessee waltz for mercury records. turned out it was her last recording session. mike cush, th curb, the owner ob records, had invited her to come to nashville and record an album, best of patty page. and he invited notice come play the piano while she sang the teb

turtennessee waltz, which i did, and she was very nice to put up with an amateur. she told me it wasn't the first time she performed with a tennessee governor. in the 1950's, she had performed with tennessee governor gordon browning at a memphis theater. this was when she was the rage, and the governor wanted to singh with her. she said -- i asked how it went. she said to tell you the truth, the governor wasn't a very good singer. i don't know what she said to others about my piano plairg playing but that was probably about as harsh a verdict as patty page ever rendered of any other person. according to "the new york times" obituary, patty page once said i don't think i've stepped on anyone along the way. if i have, i didn't mean to. well, patty page is gone now, but her music is not.

and whenever we tennesseans hear our state song, "the tennessee waltz," played or whenever we sing it, we'll remember the voice of patty page. mr. president, i ask consent to include in the record following my remarks the obituary about patty page from "the new york times" and i yield the floor. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from delaware is recognized. mr. coons: mr. president, we are no longer in an election year, which makes this the perfect time for this congress to take action on real and meaningful election reform. regard lestless of which candidates we voted for last november, we can all agree that

in the world's greatest democracy in this year, 2013, we should put in place systems that ensure that every voter will be able to cast their ballot without unnecessary delays, red tape or restriction in our next elections. that's why i'm looking forward to working with my colleagues here in the senate with leaders in state and local governments across the country, and with folks in the u.s. department of justice to discuss ways we can reform our election process to make voting more accessible for more americans. in his second inaugural address delivered just 24 monday, president obama made a point to tie voting rights to civil rights. president obama spoke of the long american march towards justice. he said on the first steps of that march of the journey toward a better, fairer, more equal society where every american regardless of race, gender, orientation or status has the same shot at success that march has always started at the ballot

box. president obama mentioned seneca falls a central moment in the movement for women's suffrage and selma, the heart of the fight for voting rights for african-americans. he said our journey is not complete until no sten disen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. he's right. and in the 2012 elections were a wake-up call to those of us who treasure the right to vote. all over our country, in blue states and red states, americans saw their fundamental right to vote eroded by exceptionally long lines, confusing rules, and widespread voting machine malfunctions. were there were problems in more than a dozen states documented in the media. voting machine irregular tairts in 3e68 and colorado --, pennsylvania and colorado, delays counting ballots in arizona, voters waiting in lines five hours long in virginia, and eight hours long in florida.

we have to do better than this. as americans, the right to vote is in our d.n.a., so just days after these 2012 elections that had such widespread problems, i introduced the fast voting act, the fair act, secure and timely voting act along with senator warren and colleagues in the house, congressman congressionally and langevin. it would provide incentives, competitive grants to those states that can turn around their poorest performing polling places, improve the administration of their elections and make voting faster and more accessible to all voters. as a former county executive myself i know that states and local governments are indeed laboratories of democracy. when it comes to administering elections many states and counties are getting it right. and we can learn from them and replicate their successes elsewhere in the country to ensure these same problems do

not plague the next national election. for example, florida was one of many states with rampant election problems in 2012. long lines, limited early voting and other issues may have disenfranchised as many as 49,000 floridians according to a study by prawr theodore allen of the ohio state university. floridians like richard jordan. richard waited more than three hours in a line that just wasn't moving to try and cast his ballot on election day 2012. he had already worked a ten-hour shift that day, evers exhausted, he was hungry and he ultimately in anger decided he couldn't wait anymore. he simply gave up and walked away,about denied the opportunity to cast cast his ballot by an unprepared, underresourced or just incompetent voting system. on behalf of voters across the state like richard, earlier

this month florida's election administrators presented governor rick scott with a list of reforms they'd like to implement to prevent these problems from happening again. governor scott admitted his own state's election process was clearly in need of improvement, and he said he agreed with some of the election supervisors' proposals. this is in my view a very positive stem cell research-step forward and one that should be undertaken in every state where there is documented need for stronger, fairer, faster, freer elections. in my view the federal government can and should 34r5eu a role in incentivizing that process and ensuring that election improvements are made to last. it can help states move forward in using available technology and ensure states do a better job at enforcing laws that are already on the books. the national voter registration act commonly known as the motor voter law requires states to allow voters to register when they renew their license at the

dmv or other governmental agencies. yet there are allegations that some states aren't fulfilling their obligations under this act. blue states, red states, purple states all across the country in talking with elections administrators from around the country it's clear to me that compliance with existing law is not complete. so we have to do more to ensure voters are afforded the rights given to them under current law and that state agencies are doing what's required to simplify the registration process, to maintain uniform an nondiscriminatory voartd rolls and to provide wide straight ahead -- widespread registration opportunities. enforcing existing laws is part of the conclusion solution to the problems we saw in pepco twefl. we have to look foarpd to ways to deliver the most efficient voting process to all americans. part of the solution i think is the mechanism of the fast voting act. our legislation focuses on cost-effective reforms like making it easier to register

online and ensuring citizens who move to a new jurisdiction can easily transfer their voter registration. if we use modern technology that we already have at our disposal we can make it easier for all eligible american citizens to cast their ballot and ensure every vote is counted. president obama was right to mention election reform alongside the most essential civil rights struggles in our country's history in his inaugural address on monday. making it harder for citizens to vote is a their civil rights. long lines are just another form of voter disenfranchisement. running out of ballots is another form of suppression. and access to vote is denied when registration is cumbersome or inaccessible and when early vote or vote by mail options are not available. let's do something now when we're no longer hamstrung by election-year application in the

senate so changes, changes that last, changes that make a difference, can be implemented well before the next elections. as someone who serves on the foreign relations committee and often speaks with foreign heads of state,, with civil society leaders and voting advocates around the world it is an embarrassment in 2012 our nation couldn't overcome the simple challenges to ensuring fair and accurate elections all across our country. if we ignore these assaults on america's civil rights that we saw last november, we are certain to have to endure them the next time around. we cannot stand by and allow that to happen. our democracy needs to be a model to the rest of the world for how to ensure that every citizen gets to exercise the right to vote. so let's find a way to come together to put meaningful election reforms in place now. before we deny one more american their fundamental right to vote for the candidate of their choice.

mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the text of the fast voting act be included in the record following my remarks and i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. without objection, so ordered. the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. moran: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from kansas is

recognized. mr. moran: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. moran: mr. president, thank you. i've only been a member of the united states senate for two years, but in that short period of time at least seven other countries have taken actions that we've not taken to better support and attract entrepreneurs to their country's economy. the map that's here beside me shows those countries: the united kingdom, russia, singapore, australia, brazil, chile, and canada. those countries have changed their rules, regulations, passed laws, changed their policies to make their country more friendly to start-up businesses and to entrepreneurship. i want to focus today in visiting with my colleagues about what's happening in one of our countries, our neighbor to the north, canada, and explain why it's in the interest of our

own country to act quickly to retain highly skilled and entrepreneurial immigrants. in 2002, canada announced plans to create a new visa to attract foreign entrepreneurs to their country. canada is developing a plan to admit foreign entrepreneurs who have received capital from venture funds to start businesses in canada and to admit them to canada within weeks. a spokesman for the canadian immigration agency was quoted in november as saying: canada seeks young innovative immigrants who will contribute to canada's job growth and further drive our economy. but canada is not just changing its laws to attract entrepreneurs. it's advertising and trying to lure talent there. the ad that we're now showing -- this is a full-page ad that appeared in a publication called "fast company." it's an american magazine

dedicated to start-ups, technology and innovation. the advertisement for ontario highlights r&d incentives and innovative and dynamic business environment and the top talent needed to grow new businesses. we in congress and in the administration need to take note of this. other countries, including our friends to the north, our aggressively according to entrepreneurs and talented individuals, and they're luring them from here. they're trying to get them from the united states. canadian citizenship and immigration minister jason kenney said we need to target a new type of entrepreneur that has the potential to build innovative companies that can compete on a global scale and create jobs for canadians. while we work in the united states to continue educating our children with the skills for a 21st century economy and training the next generation of great american entrepreneurs, we also need to be welcoming to

those who want to create a business in the united states and employ americans now. with respect to canada, america is the country of entrepreneurs, a place where those with good ideas who are willing to work hard can come and make something for themselves. there is a global battle for entrepreneurial talent in and te united states is falling behind. a story i heard while visiting california, silicon valley, last year illustrates this point pretty well. a large company that just a few years ago was a small start-up told me that they had plans to hire 68 highly skilled immigrants, but could not get a visa for them to work in the united states. rather than letting this talent go, the company hired them but hired them at their location in canada. and it's certainly troubling that there were 68 jobs that went outside the united states. they were lost here in our country because the united states does not have a visa

program that works. what troubles me even more is that some of those 68 people hired in canada will go on to start a business that may result in significant job creation in canada. those jobs that could have been in the united states are now in another country, and those individuals who may start a company are no longer in the united states, but are now in canada. when we lose entrepreneurs and highly skilled immigrants, we lose the jobs they create. the good news is that there are steps we can take to attract and retain foreign entrepreneurs and highly skilled immigrants. in a bipartisan effort, senator warner, senator coons, senator rubio and i introduced start-up 2.0 last year. senators blunt and brown, scott brown of massachusetts, joined as cosponsors. and an identical bill was introduced in the house of representatives with an even number of republican and democrat supporters.

again this year i'm working with those colleagues to reintroduce a bill very similar to that in very short order. start-up 2.0 makes changes to the federal regulatory process to lessen government burdens on job creators, modifies the tax code to encourage investment in new businesses and capital formation, seeks to accelerate the commercialization of university research that can lead to new ventures, and most importantly, provides new opportunities for highly educated and entrepreneurial immigrants to stay in the united states where their talent and new ideas can fuel economic growth and, most importantly, create jobs for americans. start-up 2.0 creates an entrepreneurial visa for foreign-born entrepreneurs currently in the united states, legally in the united states. those with good ideas, with capital and the willingness to hire americans would be able to stay in the united states and grow their businesses. in many instances foreign-borne entrepreneurs here legally have

an idea and want to begin a company that will employ americans but are told their visa does not allow them to remain in the united states. take the story of assaf derish, born in israel and came to the united states in 2007 after being awarded a fulbright scholarship to study at the university of california. after completing his doctoral thesis, he founded a software company called reg pack. assaf raised $1.5 million in financing for the company and hired more than a dozen americans. his company has the potential to grow quickly and to further create additional jobs. but assaf found the founder of this dynamic company is no longer in the united states. we contacted him. my staff contacted him this morning, and he said that because of the difficulty in obtaining a visa and the amount of time and effort it was taking, he decided it was easier to move to israel and take the

core of the company, including its jobs, with him. now as reg pack grows, new jobs are going to be created in israel, jobs that could have been in the united states if we had a visa dedicated to foreign entrepreneurs like assaf. sadly, his story is far from uncommon. immigrants legally living in the united states who have a good idea and want to start a business have few options available to them. with a few ways to -- with very few ways to stay, these entrepreneurs, just like assaf, are forced to move and take their businesses with them and take the jobs that they have created and will create to other countries. i want to make certain that america is the best place for entrepreneurs who want to build america and hire americans. passing start-up act 2.0 will help make this happen. entrepreneurial immigrants have

long contributed to the strength of our economy by starting companies and creating jobs. of the current fortune 500 companies, more than 40% were founded by first- or second-generation americans. today one in every ten americans employed at a privately owned u.s. company works at an immigrant-owned firm. in our mobile world, entrepreneurs have a choice as to where they start a business. for decades there was no better place than the land of opportunity: the united states of america. but things are changing. other countries are aggressively seeking the best and brightest, those with entrepreneurial talent, as a way to grow their economy. i believe that most -- in fact, i would say at least 80% of my colleagues in congress agree with the visa provisions in start-up act 2.0. they understand that retaining highly skilled entrepreneurial immigrants will lead to economic

growth and new jobs for americans. unfortunately, there is an approach in congress that's been here for the last several years that says if we can't do everything, we won't do anything. i urge my colleagues, let's pass what we can agree now and keep working to find common ground on issues that still divide us. canada and other countries are creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs, for start-up companies. but the united states is still the home of the american dream. we need to pass start-up 2.0 so that individuals can pursue their ambitions in america. millions of our citizens remain out of work. our economy is barely growing. one would think common sense would suggest we would work hard together to deal with the issues that we have agreement upon, that would help jump-start the economy. let's do that, let's jump-start the membership economy through entrepreneurship and allow those

with talents and skills we need to pursue the american dream in the united states of america, and thereby strengthen our economy. mr. president, i notice the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island is recognized. mr. whitehouse: i ask that the pending quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. whitehouse: and may i ask unanimous consent that jacqueline emanuel who is a fellow in senator mark udall's office be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the month of january -- for the remainder of the month of january, 2013, senate session of the 113th congress. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. whitehouse: thank you. mr. president, we all know here in the senate and in the house of representatives about the low grades that congress receives in public opinion polling. everybody knows what theub